Sonny's Blues Research Paper

Signs of Modernity in “Sonny’s Blues”
The first half of the twentieth century was a time of tremendous change and upheaval, marked by industrialization, wars, migration, and urbanization. James Baldwin's short story, "Sonny Blues," offers a powerful response to the experience of modernity in this period, exploring the impact of these changes on Black communities in America. Through the story's vivid characters and poignant themes, Baldwin creates a vivid portrait of a society struggling to come to terms with the changes brought about by modernity.
One of the key experiences of modernity that Baldwin responds to in "Sonny Blues" is urbanization. The story is set in Harlem, a neighborhood of New York City that underwent a rapid transformation during the first half of the twentieth century as African Americans migrated north from the South. Baldwin evocatively captures the sense of dislocation and alienation that many Black people experienced in this new urban environment, describing how "the houses looked squashed together, like a group of tired, stooped old men who'd been walking for a very long time".
Another significant experience of modernity in "Sonny

One of the most striking examples of this is Sonny's love of music, which provides him with a sense of purpose and expression in an otherwise difficult life. The protagonist initially dismisses Sonny's passion for music as a frivolous pursuit, saying, "I couldn't see why he couldn't get a job and help his brother". However, as he witnesses the power of music to help Sonny cope with his addiction and express his emotions, the protagonist begins to understand its value. He even attends Sonny's performance and feels a sense of catharsis as it, “brought something else back to [him], and carried [him] past it, [he] saw [his] little girl again,” and was finally able to confront his own pain and